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Published: February 21st 2011
Tuesday 15th February – at 9.45 we wished PIE good luck as we dropped her off at the garage for a service. We hadn’t planned it but the road the garage was on led straight into the city and as it was a beautiful day we thought we may as well walk instead of catching a bus. It wasn’t too far, about 4 kms, but the sun was hot and it was difficult to find any shade. We were just having a brief rest in one of the many parks that surround the city (apparently Adelaide is one of the largest cities in the world where its Central Business District is completely surrounded by parkland) when a lady with a broad Mancunian accent came up and asked us the way to the city. She was staying with her daughter who was a nurse and was just whiling away some time before meeting her for lunch. It was one of the simplest directions we’ve ever had to give: “just keep going along Pulteney Street (where we were) and you’ll get to the city centre”. Soon we were there and were in desperate need of refreshment so had cups of tea and some
great raisin toast.
Adelaide is a small, compact city but its large suburban residential areas give it a population of about 1,300,000. But the Central Business District is easy to walk around. We made our way to Rundle Mall, which is the main, traffic free shopping area and stopped for a few minutes to listen to a radio interview taking place on a small stage. It was to do with the Adelaide Fringe Festival which starts on the 18th February and runs for three weeks. We wandered on remembering the last time we walked along the Mall eight years ago when there were hundreds of people playing chess – it had been an amazing sight! We made for the Botanical Gardens and found a small café where we stopped for lunch. Graham relaxed with his cup of tea while I wandered round the ‘Mediterranean Garden’ which was full of familiar plants. We strolled a bit further and then I went off to find the Bi-centennial Conservatory but when I got there I found there was a charge and I didn’t have my purse! I wound my way back along footpaths, through trees, over streams and eventually found Graham sat
comfortably in the shade. By now it was really hot so we decided to make our way back to the garage. We were just leaving the gardens when the service manager phoned to say that PIE was ready and there was nothing that needed immediate attention. Of course, while we had been wandering around we had been worrying what the garage might find so we were pleased and relieved. Because it was so hot and my poor old hip was playing up we looked for the bus stop to catch the bus back. We found it eventually but by then we had already walked a couple of kms out of the city. Still, it was a relief not to have to walk the whole way back. At the garage we paid the bill and the chap went through what they’d done and pointed out a few things we need to keep an eye on. The main thing was that the brake pads should last another 4000 kms and by then we hope to be in Perth.
Once back at the CP we headed for the pool and relaxed.
I had designated Wednesday morning as being a time to
do a bit of house-work and so, even though it was very hot, I persevered with it. My plan to get the washing done and out to dry early was foiled as all the washing machines were “occupied” and there was a queue for their use! So I got busy giving the inside of Sweetie a clean and then, because I had some hot water left, I cleaned the windows inside and out and even part of the outside. After that I collapsed in a heap for a while! I got the washing done later in the afternoon and then, as it had cooled down a bit, we drove the 4 or 5 kms to Brighton Beach – the nearest beach to the CP. By then it was about 6.30 pm. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice it all was and wondered why we hadn’t spent more time there. We were greeted by the sight of loads of children of varying ages going through lots of different exercises associated with life-saving. Then they all grabbed boogie boards or surf boards and had races around their tutors. It’s a part of Aussie life we love to see and never get
bored watching enthusiastic kids learning to be safe in the sea. Just across from the beach was a handy fish and chip shop so, armed with a suitable supply, we sat and enjoyed them while watching the sun go down. For us Brits it’s wonderful on a fine, clear, warm evening to be able to pop to the beach, find a close parking spot with ease (at no charge) and be able to have plenty of benches to chose from – it doesn’t get much better than that!
On Thursday, with PIE having been given a clean bill of health, we decided to give her a run out but before that I rang my brother David to wish him a happy birthday. His answer machine was on so I left a suitable message and sent him a text message as well. Anyway, Happy Birthday, David – we hope you had a lovely day. Also, before we went off for the day, and now that we had arranged our trip to New Zealand, I was conscious that the freezer compartment in the caravan fridge was very iced up. I knew that I needed to do something about it soon so
that, when it is turned off during our NZ trip, it doesn’t flood the caravan! Presumably when we are travelling longer distances regularly it will defrost more fully because it will be switched off for longer periods each day. Anyway I switched it off, emptied it, put a big plastic box inside, lined the bottom with towels and off we went.
We drove back towards the Fleurieu Peninsula, stopped in Normanville (where we had Christmas dinner on the beach eight years ago) and had a spot of lunch. We briefly visited the beach and were pleased to find it just as stunning as we remembered it. Today there was hardly anyone around and it was just a beautiful, peaceful scene – we’ll be back another day hopefully.
We were heading for Second Valley named because, after landing at Rapid Bay, it was the next valley north that William Light explored on his expedition of 1836. It had been recommended to us as an ideal spot for snorkelling so we were anxious to check it out. There is very little at Second Valley now, just a small village and a caravan park – very unspoilt – but it had
once been a thriving, though very small, sea fishing port. We parked and strolled to the jetty from which a couple of people were fishing and from where we could see a beautiful, small beach. We walked over some rocks to where an old, rusted winch stood as a memorial to the busy little fishing place this once was and where there had been many fishing sheds. Each shed had such a winch but this was the sole survivor of those bygone days. We had just returned to the jetty when along came a group of 20 or so teenagers with some instructors. They were all decked out in wetsuits and had flippers and goggles. They got into the water by various methods and were divided into three groups. They all went through safety procedures and had to remove their flippers and goggles while treading water and then put them back on again – not the easiest of manoeuvres but most of them did it pretty well. After that they went a little further out and did some serious snorkeling so we left them to it. One of the girls told me they had been at Rapid Bay the previous
day and that was exactly where we headed next.
Rapid Bay was a bit disappointing after Second Valley – it wasn’t nearly so picturesque and there didn’t seem to be any obvious place to snorkel from. There was a great camp site there though with toilets (not sure about showers) but no power. As we went to see how much it would be to camp we spotted the stone where Colonel William Light had carved his initials on September 8th 1836 after he landed at the bay from his boat ‘Rapid’. After that we made our way back to the CP.
I was disappointed to find that the freezer compartment in the fridge was still badly iced up. It had been a reasonably warm day so I thought it would have defrosted very quickly. To speed things up I stuck some boiling water in it and chiselled away at the ice. It was all a bit frustrating but eventually I was able to reload the food and switch it back on. It reminded me of the first fridge and freezer we ever had quite a few years ago that needed similar treatment every few months. At least we
Another reminder of David Unaipon
Strolling along North Terrace in Adelaide city centre we spotted this plaque set in the pavementdidn’t come back to puddles of water and none of the food we’d packed in a cool box had come to any harm.
We’ve had a varied few days and enjoyed everything we did apart that is from defrosting the fridge!
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